Containerized silo

ABSTRACT

A portable silo adapted for dispensing and metering flowable materials integrated into a shipping container is described. After shipping to a concrete pouring site or other mixing application, doors on one end of the container may be opened, leveling legs deployed, and the container righted to a vertical position, wherein the leveling legs are placed in contact with the ground, a pad or another supporting surface. Metering devices mounted on the legs are used to weigh the combination of the container, the silo and the flowable material. The silo may then be filled with a flowable material through a door in the container on the other end thereof from the doors utilized for accessing the leveling legs, or by a pneumatic filling tube attached thereto. A dust filter which may be disposed within the container during transit, may now be deployed on the outside of the container.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to portable silos useful for providing flowable materials for concrete plants and other material mixing applications and, more particularly, to a portable silo effective for dispensing flowable materials, integrated into a shipping container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Portable concrete plants are desirable for providing concrete in remote locations. For concrete mixes and other types of mixtures, portable silos are often useful for the dispensing and metering of flowable materials, especially if non-standard materials are being used. Generally, such silos are shipped to, unpacked and assembled at the plant site. After the work has been completed, the silos are dismantled, repacked and shipped for use at another site. Such additional effort adds cost to a concrete pouring project, as an example, and, if non-standard shipping containers are used, shipment of the silo by truck, rail and/or ship is also more expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a silo adapted for dispensing and metering flowable materials integrated into a shipping container.

Another object of the invention is to provide a silo adapted for dispensing and metering flowable materials integrated into a shipping container which does not require significant assembly and disassembly.

Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

To achieve the foregoing and other objects, and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the containerized silo adapted for dispensing flowable material, hereof, includes in combination: a shipping container having four perpendicular walls forming a rectangular cross section, a first end, and a second end; a silo having an upper portion formed inside the four side walls of the container and attached thereto, and a conical portion attached thereto forming an opening having a reduced cross sectional area from that of the four perpendicular walls; a valve adapted for sealing the opening of the silo and for dispensing the flowable material; at least three supporting members capable of being adjusted in length for leveling the silo; and at least three doors in the first end of the container for permitting the deployment of the at least three adjustable supporting members outside of the container and in contact with a supporting surface external to the container when the container is placed in an upright position.

Benefits and advantages of the present invention include, but are not limited to, providing a silo integrated into a standard shipping container which can be shipped, deployed and reshipped after use without significant unpacking, assembly, repacking and disassembly, or additional costs associated with non-standard shipping containers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a top view of an embodiment of the silo integrated into a shipping container of the present invention shown in its shipping mode with all parts inside of the container.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a side view of the silo integrated into a shipping container illustrated in FIG. 1 hereof, in its vertical, deployed mode with leveling legs extending from one end of the container.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a side view of the silo integrated into a shipping container shown in FIG. 2 hereof, in its vertical, deployed mode with leveling legs extending from one end of the container, further illustrating a pneumatic filling tube for introducing flowable materials into the silo.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, the present invention includes a silo adapted for dispensing and metering flowable materials integrated into a shipping container. When shipped to a concrete pouring site or for another mixing application, doors on one end of the container may be opened, leveling legs deployed, and the container righted to a vertical orientation, wherein the leveling legs are placed in contact with the ground, a pad or another supporting surface. Metering devices mounted on the legs are used to weigh the combination of the container, the silo and the flowable material. The silo may then be filled with a flowable material through a door in the container on the other end thereof from the doors utilized for accessing the leveling legs, or by using a pneumatic filling tube. A dust filter which may be disposed within the container during transit, may now be deployed on the outside of the container.

Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the Figures, similar structure will be identified using identical reference characters. Turning now to FIG. 1, a schematic representation of a top view of an embodiment, 10, of the present invention in its shipping mode, is illustrated. Container, 12, may be a standard shipping container suitable for carrying goods and materials on trucks, trains and ships. Typical shipping containers have dimensions 8 ft. wide×8.5 ft. high×20, 30 or 40 ft. long. Upper portion of silo, 14, may be formed from or onto side walls, 16 and 18, and the top (not shown in FIG. 1) and bottom, 20, also side walls, of container 12, and conical portion, 22. The container walls may be reinforced using sheet steel as a material of construction, the resulting silo being airtight. The non-conical portion may be rectangular having rounded interior corners or circular in cross section. Conical portion 22 may have a circular cross section in order that flowable material such as cement powder or fly ash powder, as examples, may exit the silo more smoothly. However, a rectangular funnel having rounded corners may be envisioned. Typically, the walls of the rectangular or circular funnel may have a 60° slope. Silo 14 has open end, 24, and may be filled through door, 26, in container 12, or by an access hatch disposed therein (not shown in FIG. 1). As will be described hereinbelow and illustrated in FIG. 3 hereof, a pneumatic filling pipe and blower system may also be used for this purpose.

Dispensing valve, 28, may be used to control the flow of materials disposed in material holding volume, 30, and may be disposed such that the smaller cross sectional end of cone or funnel portion 22 is closed or sealed thereby. Valve 28 may be a butterfly valve or a rotary vane airlock valve, as examples. Typically, a silo may contain about 850 cu. ft. (˜40 tons) of cement.

At least three adjustable supporting members, shown as 32 a and 32 b, are shown in their retracted position for shipment in order to satisfy ISO shipping regulations. Pads, 34 a and 34 b, permit supporting members 32 a and 32 b to be stable on a variety of ground surfaces, which may include poured concrete pads and unimproved ground, as examples. Doors, 36 a and 36 b, in container 12 permit the deployment of supporting members 32 a and 32 b when container 12 is placed in its upright position. Load cells 38 a and 38 b may be used for weighing the silo/container combination to determine the weight of flowable material dispensed through valve 28 from volume 30. Fixed supporting members, 40 a and 40 b, tie adjustable supporting members, 32 a and 32 b to silo 14. It is anticipated that four steel beams may be disposed in the four corners of the container in order to support the weight of material on the sloped funnel walls of silo 14.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a side view of the silo integrated into a standard shipping container illustrated in FIG. 1 hereof, in its vertical, deployed mode with adjustable supporting members 32 a and 32 b extending through doors 36 a and 36 b of container 12. Screw mechanism, 42 a and 42 b, may be used to level adjustable legs 32 a and 32 b, respectively, but other adjustment means may be envisioned. As an example, hydraulic cylinders may also be used for this purpose. Dust filter, 44, is shown inside volume 30 of container 12 for shipping in FIG. 2, and deployed on the outside of end or door 26 when the container is deployed in its upright condition for reducing the amount of dust exiting silo 14, again in order to satisfy ISO shipping requirements. A hatch (not shown in the FIGURES) in end or door 26 may be provided to permit the same bolt pattern to be used for securing filter 44 in both its inside (for shipping) or outside (for deployment) locations on container 12.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a side view of the silo integrated into a standard shipping container shown in FIG. 2 hereof, in its vertical, deployed mode with leveling legs extending from one end of the container, further illustrating pneumatic filling tube, 46, for introducing flowable materials into the silo through open end 48 from a source thereof (not shown in FIG. 3). Filling tube 46 may be 4-5 in. in diameter, as an example. Hooks, 50 a and 50 b, or other means for enabling an on-site crane or loader to place container 12 in an upright position and on pads 34 a and 34 b, may be attached to the exterior surface, as an example on wall 26 of container 12, once the container is delivered to its desired location. Ladders and safety rails, not shown in the FIGURES, may also be attached to the outside surfaces of container 12 as needed, once the container has been delivered.

Flowable material may be discharged through valve 28 and transported by an auger, such as a 10 in. double-flighted auger, as an example (not shown in the FIGURES), to a chosen delivery point through door or removable panel, 52, in the side of container 12 below silo 14. In use, the input to the auger would be placed under valve 28 and be stored within the silo for shipping, if the silo is not shipped with the flowable material already loaded therein. Another method for dispensing flowable material is through a rotary vane airlock valve 28 as a replacement for the butterfly valve, and forced into a 2-5 in. diameter pneumatic conveyer line, as an example (not shown in the FIGURES), exiting through door 52 in the side of container 12 below silo 14 using a blower system for providing air pressure to the pneumatic conveyer line (not shown in the FIGURES).

In operation, the container may be shipped either filled with flowable material or empty to a location of intended use, the adjustable legs deployed through the corresponding doors, and the container deployed and leveled in its upright position. If empty, the silo may be filled by opening the corresponding door at the end of the container, and filling the silo from an external source, or by using a pneumatic filling tube to accomplish this operation. The flowable material may then be dispensed through a valve either using an auger or by pneumatic means as described hereinabove, the amount of flowable material dispensed being determined by weighing the combination silo/container and flowable materials before and after material is transferred. An independent computer control or a computer control integrated with that of the batch plant may be used to monitor the weight of material in the silo using the load cells, or other weighing device, and deliver specified batch quantities of flowable material.

The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto. 

1. A containerized silo adapted for dispensing flowable material, comprising in combination: a shipping container having four perpendicular walls forming a rectangular cross section, a first end, and a second end; a silo having an upper portion formed within the four side walls of said container and attached thereto, and a conical portion attached thereto forming an opening having a reduced cross sectional area from that of the four perpendicular walls; a valve adapted for sealing the opening of said silo and for dispensing said flowable material; at least three supporting members capable of being adjusted in length for leveling said silo; and at least three doors in the first end of said container for permitting the deployment of said at least three adjustable supporting members outside of said container and in contact with a supporting surface external to said container when said container is placed in an upright position.
 2. The silo of claim 1, wherein said second end is adapted to be opened for filling said silo with a flowable material.
 3. The silo of claim 1, further comprising a pneumatic fill pipe for filling said silo with the flowable material.
 4. The silo of claim 1, further comprising at least three load cells, one of said at least three load cells being mounted on each of said at least three adjustable support members for cumulatively weighing said silo, said container, and said flowable material to determine the weight of flowable material dispensed through said valve.
 5. The silo of claim 1, wherein said valve comprises a butterfly valve or a rotary vane airlock valve.
 6. The silo of claim 1, further comprising a dust filter for keeping dust generated by the flowable material from exiting said silo.
 7. The silo of claim 1, wherein said shipping container comprises a standard shipping container suitable for carrying goods and materials on trucks, trains and ships.
 8. The silo of claim 1, wherein hooks are provided on the exterior of said container to enable said container to be placed in an upright position using a lifting apparatus.
 9. The silo of claim 1, wherein said at least three supporting members capable of being adjusted in length for leveling said silo, are adjusted using a screw mechanism.
 10. The silo of claim 1, wherein said at least three supporting members capable of being adjusted in length for leveling said silo, are adjusted using hydraulic cylinders.
 11. The silo of claim 1, wherein the inside of the walls of said shipping container are reinforced to form the upper portion of said silo. 